TROUT RUN - A $10,000 reward has been offered by Brubacher Energy Services to anyone with information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of whoever vandalized construction equipment on the evening of Aug. 30 near Hagerman's Run and Narrow Mountain roads and Upper Grays Run, near Trout Run, in the Loyalsock State Forest.
The investigation is being headed by Chief County Detective William Weber and Rob Barbour, a ranger for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
According to police, an unspecified number of vandals cut down two trees within the state forest.
"They basically cut the trees to block access to the road where our equipment was located," said Myron Brubacher, an owner of the company.
The vandals, who had somehow acquired keys, used pieces of equipment to damage other pieces of equipment. In total, the company suffered $120,000 in damages.
"They rolled several pieces, one of our machines was rolled over on its side. They did a lot of damage," Brubacher said.
He added that the company has increased security since the vandalism.
Barbour explained that the only real environmental damage was to the two trees cut down.
"The tree damage was very, very minor compared to the damage that the equipment sustained. They weren't very high-valued trees," Barbour said. "But, it is a shame that this happened on state land."
Both the company and the department remained determined to catch whoever is responsible and reached out to the district attorney for assistance.
"They contacted my department and asked for our officer's assistance in this case because of the total amount of damages," Weber explained. He added that police were interviewing locals and following up on several leads.
However, police still are seeking information that will lead to arrests in the case. Locals with information are encouraged to contact the district attorney's office at 1-800-282-0427 or the Bureau of Forestry at 924-3501.
